The profile is good read for those interested in how the candidate came by his staunch political views, including details about his college days that show how longstanding his commitment to fiscal responsibility has been. After turning down an athletic scholarship because he was afraid he might not be able to compete thanks to a knee injury, Paul worked his way through college, but still joined a fraternity, which sounds like an awkward match:

“You’d go out for a beer, and he’d have a Coke,” said James Fuller, a classmate. “He never missed church. He was a very straight shooter.”

“Peer pressure wasn’t going to change him,” said Samuel Blackwell, another classmate. The same went for his politics. Mr. Fuller said he pegged Mr. Paul as “to the right of Attila the Hun.” Others said he was so opinionated that the fraternity’s cook — a local farmer and a liberal Democrat — took delight in goading him into political arguments.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.